Joel Barlow hosts day of mental-health activities

Updated 12:19 am, Thursday, May 18, 2017

REDDING — Students surrounded tables in an art studio at Joel Barlow High School, searching for images in the scribbles on the papers in front of them.

“The underlying presence of art therapy is to find order in chaos,” said Mary Hamilton a registered art therapist, as she moved throughout the classroom.

Hamilton’s art therapy presentation was one of 28 workshops held Wednesday that focused on mental health.

The high school holds these hourlong academies six times a year, which allow students to experience different workshops, presentations or activities, but this was the first time all of the options were focused around one theme.

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“I hope we do events like this again next year,” said Cole Straughn, a Barlow junior who attended the art-therapy class. “I like the idea that we have activities that can teach people things and relieve stress. It’s beneficial to the community.”

He said the class piqued his interest because it looked at the process of creating art, than at the final product. He learned his drawings had more meaning than he realized.

Straughn is one of the students trained in youth mental-health first aid, which teaches students to keep an eye out for peers who might be struggling. He said it was important to raise awareness about mental health because it was present, but not really discussed in society.

Veronica Galban, a junior also in the program, said workshops like those offered Wednesday help give kids the tools to talk about mental health as they enter the workforce and eventually start families of their own. The workshops could also reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

“The variety of programs allowed everyone to get involved,” she said. “The involvement is where it starts. If you’re doing something, you’re much more likely to think about it in the future.”

Maryanne Pieratti, the school’s social worker and one of the three leaders for event, said they tried to find a variety of programs to find something to appeal to all of the students. She said they were able to use a lot of community resources.

Activities were a mix of physical activities, discussions and presentations. They ranged from hiking to a discussion about the Netflix TV show “13 Reasons Why,” to a program on eating disorders to a self-defense lesson, which was taught by Travis Passaro, a Barlow alum.

All of the presenters volunteered to be there or were Barlow staff and students.

Allison Fulton, director of the Housatonic Coalition of Substance Abuse, led a program on the benefits nature has on the body and mind. She recently published a paper on the topic and said it was important to focus on the positive things in schools and communities that helped people make good choices.

She said the average American and European spends 90 percent of their time inside and 5 percent in the car due to technology and work demands. This is causing sight and health problems earlier in people.

“All of this is impacting our time in nature and the benefits we get from it,” she said, adding a study was done that showed spending three days in nature improved problem solving.

A common theme throughout the academies was how to combat stress.

“It’s not about eliminating that stress, that’s not a viable solution,” said Head of School Gina Pin. “It’s about what tools we can give them to make healthier decisions.”

Staff said they were pleased with how the event went.

Julie McTague, an assistant principal who helped organize the activities, said this was the fastest she’s seen students select workshops during these types of days.

She and Alyssa Cohen, a school psychologist who also set up the day, said they hope to continue these programs.

“We have a lot of momentum and I want to keep it going,” Cohen said. “It’s exciting to get the kids involved in all of this.”